The were chosen by Free Press readers from a list of 10 Detroit-connected nominees that also included Bruce Campbell, the Ghoul, Erebus, the Redford Theatre, the Nain Rouge, Insane Clown Posse and Harry Houdini.

The Free Press created the Halloween Hall o’ Fame to celebrate our area’s rich tradition of people and institutions who prowl the night, embrace the macabre and fuel our nightmares — or just allow us to escape the everyday with a good scare or nervous laugh. Initially, the hall will be largely virtual, housed at freep.com/detroithalloweenhallofame, though there also will be physical aspects, including commemorative illustrations by Free Press multimedia art and projects director Eric Millikin, who knows a thing or two about frightening artwork.

We’ll be back at the same time next year with some new nominees — and second chances for some of this year’s other top vote recipients. (We’re looking at you, fans of Bruce Campbell and the Ghoul, both of whom just barely missed the cut.)

But now a few more words about our inductees:

Sir Graves Ghastly

The campy vampire TV host played by Lawson J. Deming (died 2007) schooled a generation of Detroiters on horror movie classics with his Saturday-afternoon program that ran on Channel 2 from the late ’60s into the early ’80s. The show celebrated the creepiness of its subject matter while also providing humorous relief — a trademark of the Detroit horror crowd generally. “For Sir Graves Ghastly to be in the Detroit Halloween Hall o’ Fame is a no-brainer as far as I am concerned,” his son David Deming told the Free Press. “Dad touched the lives of so many young and old in Detroit for so many years and now, some 30 years later, still evokes the same response from his many fans. If there is a section in heaven for retired vampires, I am certain that Dad’s colleagues there will hear of this news and give him their best attempt of the Sir Graves haunting laugh!”

Theatre Bizarre

The city’s most unlikely — yet signature — Halloween season event started as a backyard party near the State Fairgrounds in 2000 and now draws thousands to its home at the Masonic Temple, where costumed attendees revel in its mad melding of carnival, masquerade, concert and performance art. “Theatre Bizarre is a celebration of the magic of Halloween and could have only happened in Detroit, so I’m honored that we made the Halloween Hall o’ Fame in its inaugural year, and especially honored to be inducted alongside Sir Graves Ghastly,” Theatre Bizarre cofounder John Dunivant told the Free Press. “I grew up in and around Detroit, so I was raised on Sir Graves and even sent in monster art for his wall. He was a huge influence on me.”

Alice Cooper

Born Vincent Furnier in Detroit, the pioneering shock rocker broke through nationally after bringing his L.A.-based band back to his hometown in the early ’70s. His anti-hippie hard rock and horrific theatrics made him an FM radio staple and inspired countless acts that followed him. “I grew up in Detroit and the city was really the first place where our band finally felt accepted. In those days, there was no scarier place than Detroit,” Cooper told the Free Press. “But deep down, it was a scene where anyone could be accepted, no matter how weird. I don’t know if we would have gone as far as we did without that early support and shaping from Detroit. It only helped to push us farther. Having a Detroit Halloween Hall o’ Fame seems especially fitting for such a city and I would be honored to be in!”

How the voting worked

The Free Press considered a lot of people and institutions for the first nominating class: We narrowed 25-plus down to 10. Readers then cast more than 1,300 votes to select the three inductees.

We’ll have another round of voting about this time next year. You can leave suggestions for future nominees in the comments section below. The only requirements: a horror sensibility and a strong connection to Detroit.

Millikin created the illustrations for all three of our Halloween Hall o’ Fame inductees, and they (or their families) will be presented copies. We’ll also be gifting some to readers, who will be chosen randomly from among those who voted in the Hall o’ Fame process.